Like Light to the Flies
by Ruin Takada
Summary: Now that L is gone, a new detective has to take over the case. However, at the same time there is also someone out there who wants the power of Kira...and will do anything to get it. NOTE: ON HIATUS
1. Nakigoe

**Hurrah! The first chapter! Let me just make it clear that my knowledge on the full goings on of Death Note at this point isn't very good, so if some details aren't accurate or are incorrect, please don't flame me for it okay? Besides, this is a fan fiction so I think I should be allowed a little leeway on that, k? **

**There is a lot of hinted yaoi/shonen ai in this fic so if you don't like then don't read. (But please do – there's an awesome competition you need to know about).**

Chapter I

Nakigoe

Light walked to his parents' home that night after L's funeral, unable to bring himself back to the Task Force headquarters where he and L had spent such a long time together. Earlier that day, he was happy that L was gone - even going so far as to shout it out at L's grave, surely making the detective turn in there – but now, he wasn't so sure: with L around, Light's life was exciting; knowing that L was working with Kira himself; knowing that any minute now Light would find out L's real name and kill him.

Besides, the enemies did have some good times together, and Light did enjoy the in-depth discussions that they would sometimes have when their time wasn't spent on the Kira Case or Misa. In fact, some people may even go so far as to call it…

No! Never! That's not what it was like! How could Light even _think _about having feelings for L?! He and L were just two enemies who got a little close to each other, that's all!

Light felt tears sting at his eyes, and he tried to blink them back, but it was too late – the hot tears spilled down his face, and he had to put his hand on his front door to steady himself. He let the tears flow, and cried, not caring who would see. Then, hearing footsteps walking towards the door from the other side, he quickly wiped the tears from his eyes and face, and stood up straight.

The door opened, and Light's mother, Sachiko Yagami was there, a spoon in one hand, and flour in her hair. A look of utter shock was on her face when she saw Light standing at the door – she had not seen him for months, and when the News had confided yesterday that there had been a death at the Task Force Headquarters, she had feared the worse for her husband and son.

"I-is S-so-soichiro…?" tears were welling up in her eyes, and as Light shook his head, she put her arms around him, crying her heart out with relief. None of her family was the confirmed dead, and that was best piece of news she'd heard all day.

"He's at an ICPO meeting in Tokyo city centre, and he has to report the death to the others."

Sachiko finally let go of her son, and let him walk inside. She was about to close the door when it suddenly flung open and Matsuda fell down onto the floor, a thick paper envelope. His breathing was heavy, as though he'd run a marathon, and his face was a little red as well.

Picking himself off the floor, he gave Light the envelope. It was then another minute before he got his breath back and spoke. "I was going to give you those earlier, but I forgot to, what with the eulogy." Light opened up the envelope, to reveal a collection of thirty or so photographs. He looked at one of them, and quickly put it to the back of the others, feeling his cheeks reddening. Sachiko started shouting at Matsuda, and Light quickly closed the envelope again.

"Eulogy?! You mean there was a funeral?! Who's dead?!"

"Uh...uh...uh…" stammered Matsuda, knowing he'd probably be killed himself if he revealed that L was dead. With the distraction, Light ran upstairs, wanting to look at the photos alone, away from prying eyes.

Opening the door of his room, Light switched his light on, to show that his room had been left exactly the way he'd left it, with just tiny bit of dust on the television screen being the only hint that the room had not been lived in for all these months. He sat on his creaseless bed, and took all of the photos out of the envelope, laying them out carefully so that none overlapped or creased. He then picked each of the photos up in turn and looked at the image, before putting it down and picking up another. After looking at a couple of them, Light realised that they were all pictures of him, L and Misa during the time that him and L were handcuffed together.

The first one Light picked up off the bed, was of when L stole Misa's cake, and Light had punched L as punishment for it. In the picture, L was falling to the ground, with Light falling head first after him.

Another one was of Light and L sitting at the computer, a vacant look of pleasure on their faces. The camera was looking at them from behind the computer, so it was impossible to tell what they were looking at. However, the next picture that Light picked up said otherwise: it was an over-shoulder view of the screen, and showed that they were looking at a huge picture of the J-rock boy band Nightmare. The young men were top naked, and surrounded by enough sweetie wrappers to fill up a mountain on Mars – and that was a lot!

(A/N: One such mountain is about twice the size of Mount Everest. So…how did the cameraman who took the Nightmare picture get a hold of so many wrappers?)

Light remembered how he and L had managed to find the picture: L had decided to have free time on the computer, and had typed in the words "Bubble gum nightmare", due to a dream he'd had only the other night. As soon as the picture was selected, Light just couldn't move from his seat, staring at the picture like a pervert. L was similarly affected, and was half tempted to pull down his trousers_._

Slowly putting it down, Light picked up one of him and L strangling each other with their chain. Well, to put it more accurately, the picture was of Light wrapping the chain around L's neck, while Misa tried to pull them apart, tightening the metal even more.

"_How dare you show her my magazine?!" _Light had shouted at L, _"How dare you give her my YH magazine?!" _

Light smiled at the memory. It may not have been L's favourite memory, but what had happened afterwards certainly ranked up there.

Light looked at some more pictures, until he finally picked up the one he'd first looked when he was in the hallway: It was a picture of what had happened after the strangling: Light and L were standing top naked, the chain only loosely hanging around L's shoulders. Light had his arm around L's neck, with one hand at L's cheek, and L had his arms around Light's waist, with his hands down the back of Light's trousers. They were kissing with tongues, and pulling each other closer. Light could feel himself go red again as he looked at the picture, feeling himself relive the moment.

Once again, tears welled up in his eyes as he looked closer and closer at L's porcelain white face, knowing that Light would never see or kiss that face again. This time, instead of blinking them back, he let them fall; half hoping he'd drown in them.

The door opened behind him, and Light quickly gathered up the pictures off the sheets and placed them under his bed, getting rid of the evidence. He laid himself suddenly on his stomach, covering his face with his arms, allowing him to cry some more.

"Light? Is that you?" It was a girl's voice, belonging to his sister Sayu's. He heard her soft footsteps move across the floor towards the bed, and felt her hand rest on his shoulder. "What's wrong Light? Why are you so down?" Light watched silently out of the corner of his eye as Sayu smiled at him comfortingly.

When she realised that he wasn't going to answer, her smile faded a little, and she whispered, "I heard on the news what happened at task force HQ… that someone was dead, but that they didn't know whom. I was so worried that it was you or Dad, but when they mentioned something about the person dying in a young man's arms, I was so sure that the young man was you. Mom told me that Dad's OK…" Suddenly, she bust into tears, and Light sat up on the bed and hugged her, letting his little sister drench his blue suit as he cried with her.

"I-I was so-so worried!" she stammered through her tears, not caring that her hair was getting wet as well. "Don't you dare worry me like that!" Light shushed her quietly, trying to calm her as well as him.

"Look at us," Light whispered, "crying like a pair of babies."

"Why? What are you crying about?" At this, Light tried to answer, but couldn't, not without explaining to her about him and L. Suddenly he pushed her off onto the floor, making her fall on her bottom. Crying her eyes out, she ran out of Light's bedroom, no doubt off to tell her mother what Light had done.

Just before Sayu slammed the door, Light saw a glimpse of something shiny in her hand, something rectangular and thin, like a piece of…

Wait. Did he put that photo of him and L kissing under the bed with the others? Did he even put it down on the bed _before _he collected them up? If he kept it in his hand, and his hands are now empty…

Suddenly, Light threw himself at his wall, and began banging his head against it, cursing his own stupidity. _Bang…Bang…Bang…Bang…_

Finally, he fell to the floor, crying. "Oh L," he whimpered, "Why did you leave me like this?" His crying was loud, and his shoulders shook with every heaving gasp of breath.

Earlier that day, Light was happy that L was gone, but now… the grief of it was tearing him apart.

**And that was chapter one! Let me make sure you know that this is NOT a one shot! Although the title of this story and the content of this chapter makes it seem like it is, there is definitely more chapters to come! I know quite a few of you don't like that L isn't really in this story, but that's the way it's going. The chapter titles will be in Japanese for this fan fic, and for chapter one, Nakigoe means "Cry". For those of you who've read my DN Angel fanfic Kokuyoku no Maigo, you'll know that I did the same thing for the chapter titles as I am doing now for this fanfic.**

**Please tell me what you think and if there could be some improvement in how it's written or something, just tell me in a review. All flames will be used for toast and applesauce! Please R & R. **

**SEE YA!!!**

**COMPETITION TIME!!!! **

**All you have to do is have a guess at what Light meant by his "YH magazine". The first person to guess right will get a chapter dedicated to them, and probably a new character too! So, in your guess, just add at the end what you would like your new character to be called and what that character is in relation to the other characters. You can even add a brief description of features like hair and eyes, but don't go overboard or too in depth please: everyone else may not want to hear about how your character likes to get touched, or what that character likes to eat for snack-time.**

**SMALL PRINT (Must be read):**

**1) Only one guess per person. **

**2) Having him/her be a detective may be what you want but if you put that the character is a detective, even if you get the competition answer right your character may not get chosen. **

**3) This competition will not be running forever so please get your reviews in quick, and recommend this story to your friends, so that they can join in. **

**4) The competition will stop running after 20 reviews or so, or – if a right answer hasn't been given after that – until a right answer is entered. **

**5) There is no age limit for entrants, but if you give a stupid answer, or you give a stupid sounding character entrant, I'm sorry but they won't be considered as winners.**

**6) Entries won't be counted if they are illegible. **

**7) No swearing or rude sounding character names (e.g. Evanna Humpalot, Ben Dover, Pussy Galore). **

**8) No breaching of copyright laws – The new character's name must NOT be exactly the same as the name of any other book/animanga/TV series character or any other ready-made character in existence, because if I use that name, I will get blamed for breaching of copyright, not you, and I can't be doing with a law suit on my ass. **

**9) If your character gets chosen, although the original name and any basic description will be kept the same, and you will be notified as the original creator, the character's full development and result in said development will not be up to you, as the character will need to be changed somewhat for plot purposes. **

**10) And finally, NO FLAMING IF YOU LOSE: I honestly can't be doing with hundreds of hate mail clogging up my account when I could be wasting my time on something more worthwhile than reading about how you've used voodoo to give me bad luck, or how you hate my guts. If you truthfully feel you can't cope with the odds of losing, then don't put yourself in that position. **

**HAVE FUN!!!!**


	2. Kyoukei

**And after so little a wait, here's chapter two! However, don't expect me to do this all the time: I'm a very busy person, with a load of other projects running at the same time. Still, I'm hoping that this fic doesn't take as long as the others to do, but that's just me.**

**HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!! It's now been a year since I became a member of Fanfiction and posted up my first chapter of Kokuyoku no Maigo! Yeah, I know that there are only eight chapters of it so far, but like I've said, I've been really busy with other stuff. Also, the story I update depends on the inspiration I have at any one moment, the story I'm thinking about at any one time, and basically the speed and viscosity of the creative rivers for each story.**

**Well, here you go now! **

Chapter II

Kyoukei

Matsuda walked breathlessly to his seat beside Soichiro at the ICPO meeting, his face flushed from his running from the Yagami household earlier. The lights were dim as usual in the large room, and he was late: The other representatives of the ally nations were already discussing the Kira Case.

"Why are you late?" whispered Soichiro to Matsuda, "Being late isn't a good example to the others."

"Sorry, Sir. I had to give something to Light that I forgot to give to him earlier at the funeral."

"Thing? What thing?" whispered Soichiro back. "What did you need to give to Light that you couldn't give to me to deliver?

"Um…well, it was just something private for his eyes only. He might tell you himself later, but…"

"Soichiro Yagami, I believe you have something to tell us, hmm?" That was the American representative. Matsuda gave a sigh of relief, glad that that particular investigation was somewhat prolonged to another time.

Soichiro turned his attention to the discussion, stood up, and said, "I'm sorry everyone, but what I say next must _not_ under any circumstances be repeated anywhere else, for it is a wish that the world lives under the illusion that this event has never taken place, and I believe this wish should be respected."

That set everyone muttering, some of them no doubt figuring out what the news may be.

"Yes," half-shouted the American representative, "What is this news that must be kept secret?"

(A/N: I'm kinda getting sick of always calling this guy the "American Representative, so now he shall be known as the A.R, k? Also, the English representative shall be the E.R, and the Italian representative may become the I.R)

"The world's greatest detective L," began Soichiro, his sombre tone almost inaudible, "has been killed by Kira." At this, the whole room was in uproar, angry, bemused, and amazed at the horror of Soichiro's words.

"L is dead?!" shouted the A.R in shock, "How can he be? He was the best hope we had against Kira! He's unbreakable! Unstoppable! Invincible!

"Yeah," shouted the Italian representative, "He _is_ unbreakable! And reliable! And undeniable, too!"

"I don't care about what he _was_," retorted Soichiro, "He is no good to us dead! We are going to need to find someone else to take over!"

"What about Erald Coil? Or Deneauve? They're next on the list, aren't they?" asked the English representative, bewildered at how this obvious fact had somehow been overlooked.

"But that's the thing," Soichiro replied, "L also solved mysteries under those two aliases as well. In short, he was not only the world's first, but the world's second and third as well!"

"So who will take over?" asked the French representative, "It is not like any of you beef-lovers can take over the job!" the whole room started yelling again, angered at the Frenchman's insult.

Suddenly, the huge projector screen at the front of the meeting room switched on, coating the room in an eerie white light. A person walked into the room, their face covered by a hat and the collar of their large black trench coat. In the person's arms was a silver Toshiba laptop, along with a little speaker and microphone. This stranger then walked to the podium at the front, placing the laptop onto it and opening it up.

"K.S is already on the move." Declared the stranger, and the laptop switched on, showing a huge symbol on the projector screen. The symbol was of a K and an S in the Old English Text MT font, with the K coloured red and the S coloured blue. Fine black lines came off the K, and curved into Celtic trinity knots, curling around the K and the S. Two of the lines ended in simple dark pink rose buds, one in the top right corner, and another in the bottom left.

(A/N: This symbol will at some point become my profile picture, so that you can see what this symbol looks like)

With the equipment set up, the stranger then said, "Behold the voice of K.S, the World's great detective."

A slight high-pitched noise was heard, before a voice came from the laptop, echoing around the now silent room.

"_**Good evening all at the ICPO,**_" it said, the voice like three people speaking at once, "_**As you already know, I am K.S, also known as K.**_" The representatives jumped in their seats, surprised at the sudden outburst from the laptop. Some of them began muttering loudly, surprised at this sudden new development: _Who was this K.S? What is he doing here? _

"_**If you haven't already guessed, I am your answer to the Frenchman's question, for I'm taking over the Kira Case. I will be taking over the progress of L, and what I hope to achieve is to capture Kira and have him executed for his crimes.**_"

Getting over the shock of K's arrival, the A.R spoke up, "But what if Kira is actually a group of people?! You don't expect us to execute them all, do you?! Do you want us to execute Kira's entire fan club, too?! You _do _know Kira's got enough global followers to start a religion?!"

"_**Well, sir, L has already established that Kira is actually one person, and even if there were more people working for him in the way of killing the criminals, they will be treated exactly the same way as we will treat our First Kira. And as for his fan club…are you sure you aren't confusing your information with the amount of fans the **_**band**_** "Kira" has?**_"

The A.R stared open-mouthed at the laptop at that, angry that K had spoken to him like that. Cursing K under his breath, he sat down again.

Shocked at K's rudeness, Soichiro asked, "Are you sure you're the World's greatest detective now, because your rudeness is incredibly unprofessional!"

"_**Mr Soichiro Yagami, is it? I hope you know that I am your only hope in catching Kira right now, and that if I walk away, you will have no hope in catching Kira, and that you'll also be putting many people's lives in danger, hmm?"**_

Sighing, Soichiro said, "You're right, K.S. Acting unprofessionally isn't worth the risk of the deaths of many. What are you proposing we do to catch Kira?"

"_**As it is already established that Kira is in the Kanto region of Japan, I shall be staying there, and since Kira has had access to confidential Police information since day one, I shall be staying with a member of the Task Force. **_

"_**For now, the Kira case won't concern the other nations apart from Japan, but -" **_

"Wait," said the French representative, "are you saying that while criminals are dropping dead around the world, we have to just sit back and wait for you to, how you say, _do _somethingabout it somewhere else?!"__

"_**If you are willing to make a croissant, you have to be willing to spill some flour, no? So, although the Kira case won't concern the other nations yet, I will require you all if we are to capture Kira, especially if any suspects were to escape the country, where he or she would be beyond my control.**_"

"Fine," said Soichiro, "Is there anything you want me to do to help aid Kira's capture?"

"_**Yes. However, Fumiko-dono will have you fill you in on the details after the meeting, as the information concerns you only."**_

With no other business to discuss, the meeting ended, and all the representatives filed out of the room. Fumiko the stranger, however, stayed behind sitting on a seat beside the podium, holding the silver laptop in her hands. As soon as the representatives had gone, and only Soichiro and Matsuda were in their seats, Fumiko gestured with a hand for them to come near. She then took off her hat and trench coat, to reveal that she had long dark brown hair, and wore a beautiful water blue kimono, with golden fish embroidered on it, giving the impression that the fish were swimming around her curvaceous form. The kimono was tied around her with a full gold obi, tied up in the drum bow behind her. A katana hung at her hip, hanging there by a brown leather belt, the wood of the sheath dark and shining from careful maintenance. Her dark eyes were steely and deep-set, and her skin as pale as snow. She was beautiful, but hers was a vicious beauty, and despite the finery, Soichiro and Matsuda got the impression that – were they not on her side – they wouldn't last much longer in her presence.

"Yagami-san, Matsuda-san," she said, her voice deep and harsh, "K.S has told me to tell you that you two must go to Yagami-san's house together, and that before you arrive there, you must make a detour to the Tokyo train station, where you will see a beggar-girl with short hair. You must take her home with you, and you'll receive information from her tomorrow. Also, K.S has told me that tomorrow the cameras and wire tabs will be reinstalled in Yagami-san's home, and that Yagami-san's son has been renamed the main suspect as Kira. That is all K.S wants you to know until tomorrow." Fumiko then bowed slightly at the two men, before turning away to go, leaving Matsuda going red, and Soichiro outraged at what she'd said.

"How could you?!" shouted Soichiro suddenly, his pent up rage exploding, "I thought that the accusations against my son had been cleared! How dare you –" Suddenly, in a whirl of blue and gold, and with a swish of flying metal, Soichiro found himself on his back, with Fumiko standing with a dainty sandaled foot on his chest, and her katana pointing low at his throat. His cheek throbbed viciously from a shallow cut that sliced through his moustache, and the blood was starting to trickle down his face. The look on Fumiko's face was almost poisonous as she looked into his eyes.

"Don't you _dare_ dishonour K.S like that again." She hissed, "K.S has been kind enough to provide Justice and take on this case for you _pathetic_ louts, and all you can do is give Justice a slap in the face just because there's a _tiny_ possibility that your little boy is a _heartless killer_. Just be glad that _this_ time I was carrying my sakabatou, and that I controlled myself. I was once the Hitokiri Gensai, and the next time you insult K.S or I again, you'll be getting yet _another_ taste of my Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, and when you do…" Fumiko withdrew her sword, sheathed it, and walked away, "Kira won't be the _only _murderer under people's noses."

The woman then slid on the hat and coat, picked up the electrical equipment, and exited stage left, the cut on Soichiro's face being the only sign that anything remarkable happened. Soichiro stood up clutching his face, staring astoundingly at the spot where Fumiko once stood. There was now no question that K.S was right in accusing his son – well, there was _now_, since it was clear that questioning the detective could result in the loss of his life.

Matsuda was shivering now in fright, shaken up by the first-hand experience of a woman scorned. "Sh-sh-shall w-we go n-now?" he stammered, clearly thinking about what may happen, were they not to obey orders from the ex-assassin.

Ever since L's death, this was the first step they had taken to catching Kira. It may have been a shaky step so far, but Soichiro was sure that – underneath K.S's guiding hand – those steps would become steady and firm, maybe enough so that Kira may be finally be caught and executed…the proper treatment for a criminal.

And that's chapter two! I'm sorry if I seem to ramble slightly in places, but that's the way I am when it comes to writing sometimes. Just so you guys know, this may be the last chapter I post until someone answers my question correctly and gives me their ideas for a good character for this story… dare that someone be you? I know this decision may be extreme, and that the next chapter may not concern what I'm planning for the new character, but I just want to have a clear of what's going to happen in the story line before I go dropping any more hints than I already have, k?

Ok, today's chapter title means "Respect", or "Veneration", but I'm aiming for the former translation to be the one that applies this time.

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed that little gem of Fanfiction genius (if I'm allowed to be so bold), and I hope you guys stay tuned for chapter three, when I will hopefully be able to proclaim the winner of the "YH magazine" competition, and will be able to dedicate that chapter to the winner! After that, the Second, Third and Runner up winner will have the fourth, fifth and sixth chapters respectively dedicated to them, because of those entrants' efforts.

Concerning the character that gets used in the story, I'm afraid to say that it won't necessarily be the First place winner that will win that honour – It may end up being a choice between the characters made by the First, Second, Third and Runner up winners of the "YH Magazine" competition to determine the winner of the "Best Character" competition, k?

Well, please R&R this chapter, and SEE YA!!!


	3. Kojiki

**Hey, DN lovers! I know I said that it would take a long time and someone to win the "YH Magazine" competition before I went and posted this chapter but I _think _I know what's going to happen. Thankfully, I've written this chapter so that there aren't any unnecessary hints dropped that will end up being made redundant, however, I've dropped just enough that later events will tie in with what happens now.**

**Anyways, for some reason, very few people have reviewed this story, and whether it's because they can't be bothered to enter the competition or because this story is actually not getting read, I don't know. On that note though, I'd like to give a big hand to Koishii-Mugen, who – although he's not yet left a comment – I know he's read this story so far, and is probably the first to do so. Thanks, Koishii-Mugen, you ever-so-slightly rock! For this, you get this chapter dedicated to you! **

**Don't worry about the competition: due to recent updates in my imaginative flow, I'm dropping the part about designing a character: all you need to do is just guess the answer and get the chapter dedicated to you!**

**And if anyone is wondering, the title to this story, "Like Light to the Flies", is not the original one, and this story was once called, "Before and After L" – as you can see, I probably did make the right decision in changing the title. To be honest, part of the reason for this title was because of the mick taken out of Light's name by using it! **

**Okay, now here is the long awaited (not) third chapter! Enjoy, and definitely R&R!**

Chapter III

Kojiki

It was cold as Soichiro and Matsuda walked through the Tokyo Train Station that night, the wind blowing past with every train that sped past them. Soichiro surveyed the scene, keeping his eyes peeled for the shorthaired girl that Fumiko had talked about.

"I don't see why this girl is so important," said Matsuda, shivering with cold, "I mean, how is a little beggar-girl going to help us catch Kira? Couldn't K.S just turn up himself and fill us in like L did? I mean, we don't even know what she looks like for goodness sake!"

"I'm sure K.S would have left us some sort of sign with the child."

"Why? What makes _you _so sure?"

"Well, for one thing, I doubt K.S would put the world in danger just because we couldn't find one little girl in a train station, and I doubt that he's careless enough to let something that trivial get in the way of catching Kira."

"Well… if you say so…" Matsuda was obviously still not convinced that they would ever find K.S's girl. The station was packed with people now, making it almost impossible to distinguish one person from another within the writhing mass of people.

Soichiro's mobile phone started ringing, and he answered it, putting a finger in his ear so as to hear above the babble of the crowd.

"Yagami-san? Where are you?" It was Fumiko, her voice still deep and aggressive.

"I'm at the train station, just inside the main doors."

"Is Matsuda-san still with you?"

"Yes, he's right here."

"Good, now I want you to both go to Platform 6, where you will find the girl with short hair."

"Is there anything else about her description that you can tell me?"

"Only that – if you are as clued up about law as you should be – you will be able to tell who she is at a glance."

"Is that all you'll say?"

"Yes. That is all I'm allowed to say. Goodbye" Suddenly she hung up before another word could be exchanged, leaving Soichiro a little more confused than normal.

"Who was that?" asked Matsuda, his eyes wide with curiosity.

"That was Fumiko-san. She said that the girl will be at Platform 6."

"Did she say anything else about the girl's appearance?"

"Only that all our years at Law school will be able help us recognise her at a glance." Matsuda nodded his head in understanding, secretly as confused as Soichiro. In silence, they followed the signs for Platform 6, unsure of what they'd find there.

Finally at Platform 6, they watched as a train pulled in at the Platform, and as many people rushed forward to get on the train first, not even waiting for the doors to open. As they opened, a great flood of people swarmed out of the train, battling against the great swarm that was battling to get in. And, as the last of the people battled onto the train, a group of people walked out of it, a certain _odd_ looking group of people…

They were a group of Gothic Lolitas: extravagantly dressed people – usually teenagers – whose usual attire consisted of platform boots, excessive make up, and a lot of lace. This particular group was made up of five girls and two boys, each of the girls wearing lacy, black dresses, and one of the boys wearing excessive amounts of leather and make-up, all of them having brightly coloured hair. As far as Lolitas went, they were pretty average, apart from the other boy with them.

Soichiro stood still to take a closer at the boy, making Matsuda walk right into the back of him. The young man fell to the floor, his face turning red with embarrassment. "What's up with you, sir?" asked Matsuda as Soichiro helped him off the floor, "Did you really have to stop so suddenly?"

Thanks to Matsuda distracting him, he'd lost sight of the Gothic Lolita group. Had they gone? After a desperate look around, Soichiro found them a few yards away from the edge of the Platform. Thankfully, they'd stopped moving, and were standing still to talk. Curious, he stood still and strained his ears, hoping for some information leading to the whereabouts of the beggar-girl.

"So," purred a black-haired Goth Lolita-girl, her left wrist joined to the right wrist of the Goth Lolita-boy with a satin red ribbon, "where are you going to be staying now?"

"Yeah," said a pink haired one, "who are you going to be bunking up with, now your parents have kicked you out of your crypt?"

"You can stay with me," said a blonde-haired, familiar-looking one, her right wrist also joined to the boy's other wrist with a satin red ribbon, "anything for my little swordsman!" Swordsman? What did Miss Amane mean by that? Was it some sort of nickname?

It was then that Soichiro really paid attention to the boy's appearance: he was dressed all in black, almost as though – unlike the girls and their lace – he was trying to make some sort of statement. He wore knee-high buckle-strapped leather boots to leather trousers, paired with a cotton long-sleeved button-through shirt, like the sort that students wore for uniform, only it had a pair of scales embroidered on the chest pocket, and the left sleeved had been turned up to meet the elbow – something that a high school teacher would never allow in any situation. Along with a black leather belt holding up his trousers, he also wore a belt around his waist, to which a cherry-wood sheathed katana was fastened. It was actually surprising that no one had taken action against him for carrying a weapon. But, that wasn't the strangest part of his appearance: what was strange was his hair – short and black with purple streaks on the fringe – had an Alice band in just behind the fringe, which held in place a black lace funeral veil, hiding his face. A simple cloth blindfold was tied over his eyes, only just visible underneath the veil. The boy was walking around blind, and Soichiro was sure of the fact that, if it wasn't for the girls who'd bound their wrists to his, he would've ended up lost to the crowds a while ago.

"I bet that's the girl Fumiko-san was talking about." Said Matsuda, whispering in Soichiro's ear.

"What do you mean? That's a boy, right?"

"Nope, it's definitely a girl: the hair is a lot neater than such as Light's hair, like the Refined Takada's hair – the girl that Light went out with once. And also, if you compare her physique to the other girls next to her, there is basically no difference…except for the fact that she's a bit flat chested." Soichiro just stared at Matsuda in response, not sure of what to make of the young pervert's reasoning. "Hey, isn't that Misa-Misa with her?" he quickly changed the subject, "I thought she was Light's girlfriend?"

Soichiro sighed, slipping deep into thought: they had to figure out a way of going up to the girl and finding out if she was K.S's assistant without giving away anything to do with the Kira case.

"Why don't we just arrest her?" interrupted Matsuda, "It may not be the most peaceful solution, but she's got an illegal weapon with her, which is a good reason to arrest anyone. We've got our fake on us as well, so we won't be in any danger from Kira" Again, Soichiro stared at Matsuda blankly. How was it that he knew exactly what he was thinking? It was actually starting to get on his nerves.

"So, Mr Swordsman," said Misa, adopting an even more flirtatious tone, "Are you going to take me up on the invitation, or are you actually going to, like, live in a crypt?"

"Well," said the girl, her voice somewhat delicate and soft, "why don't I just sit down here by a wall, drop my bag and beg? Your room, after all, only has room for one person. You can't even fit a futon in the remaining floor space." Misa's jaw dropped practically to the floor at the rude response, and the other girls laughed. Without warning, the 'swordsman' did just as she said: untying the ribbons around her wrists, she walked head-down towards a wall, dropped her bag, and sat down.

"Money for the blind?" she asked, taking out a hat and holding it up for people to drop their money in. "I have no home and no sight. Could you possibly spare a yen for me?"

"That's it," said Matsuda, "That must be her. By doing that, she's practically yelling that she's in league with K.S. All you need to do now is just arrest her for possession of an illegal weapon and begging without a permit!"

(A/N: Just so you know: at around this time, the Kanto area of Japan was getting so built up and there were so many people around that were begging for fun and leaving mess, that a new law was made. Basically, it states that you can only go on the streets and beg if you honestly had no home, no money, and no chance of getting a job due to lack of skills. This soon cleared up any mess because it meant that people could only beg if they had a begging license.)

"OK," replied Soichiro, "give me another good reason why you think this is the one Fumiko-san is talking about and why we should arrest her."

"Well, she's pretty much a living manifestation of that statue of Lady Justice. You know the saying."

"Justice is blind…"

"But not deaf," finished Matsuda, "That's right, and she even has the sword for punishment, like Lady Justice!" he was excited now, somewhat happy that for one of the first times since he joined the Kira Case, he was sure he was right.

"Yes, but what about the scales that goes in her left hand?"

"Well, if you look on the chest pocket on the left side of her shirt, it's got a pair of scales embroidered on it! That means she's gotta be Fumiko-san's beggar-girl!" Soichiro sighed when he saw the embroidery on the shirt, and looked hopelessly down at his feet. It was really depressing for him to know that, in the space of a few months, he had lost his touch, with even young new officers like Matsuda leaving him behind.

"So," asked Matsuda, sensing Soichiro's melancholy, "Shall we get on with it then?" His question was only met with silence, and he had to put a hand on Soichiro's shoulder to get an answer.

"Fine," Soichiro answered finally, taking out his fake police I.D, "Let's arrest her." And with that, the pair walked towards the beggar-girl, determined on not leaving the Train Station without her.

**Later**

Back in the car, Soichiro was driving down the highway, the rain hammering down upon the windscreen. Matsuda was in the back seat, waving few sheets of paper into the beggar-girl's face: the attempt of arresting her had not ended well, and she had ended up unconscious on the floor of the platform, the how and why of it completely beyond Soichiro's and Matsuda's ken.

Soichiro sighed as he navigated around a round a bout, remembering the somewhat terrible attempt.

***

Soichiro and Matsuda had walked up to the strangely dressed beggar-girl with fake IDs in hand, surrounding her so that she couldn't push past, and intimidating her.

"Young miss," Soichiro had said, "You are under arrest for possession of an illegal weapon, and begging without a permit."

"That's right," said Matsuda, "you have the right to remain silent, but anything you do say can, and will be used against you in court." Then, without another word, the two men then tried to pick her up off the floor, getting her to her feet. When she had finally been coaxed to stand, she ducked underneath them, reappearing behind them with her katana drawn. The sword itself was a sakabatou – a reversed-edged sword – but Soichiro had had enough experience with blades in the past to know that any sort of blade – whether dull or sharp – could do damage if enough power was wielded behind it.

(A/N: Just so all you _Rurouni Kenshin _fans know, a sakabatou and a reverse-edged sword are actually not separate weapons, but exactly the same thing: the name sakabatou is how you say reverse-edged sword in Japanese.)

All of a sudden, the Goth Lolita-boy had run in between them, blocking the beggar-girl's offensive swiftly.

"What are you doing?" the boy shouted, "Get away from her!" His gold eyes glared dangerously at Soichiro and Matsuda, his lips pulled back to show white, sharp-looking teeth.

"No," said Soichiro, "_You_ get away from _her_!" he then proceeded to bring out his gun, aiming it at the boy's chest. They were only rubber bullets – the harmless sort that would only leave a nasty bruise – but of course, the boy wouldn't know that. Seeing the gun, he let his arms fall to his sides, before lifting his leather fingerless-gloved hands in a theatrical gesture at Soichiro.

"Behold!" he shouted, his dark voice ringing out across the now silent platform, "Hypocrite! Behold their beloved revels in tragedy, and their self-denying avarice for bloodshed! Holding onto lies to make the truth!" He then put a hand on the beggar-girl's shoulder, his fingertips resting on the skin of her neck, his nails digging in slightly.

"That's right!" shouted the pink-haired Goth Lolita-girl, "The time has come for Anarchy! Take down the Police! Those who run will be burned!"

"No, Kaoru!" the beggar-girl pointed the sakabatou at the girl, the beggar-girl's blindfolded face still fixed in the direction of the two men, "Breaking down order will make you no better than they, and I know you're better than them!" The tip was now at Kaoru's throat, barely picking the skin. Tears stared to roll down her face, terrified that the blade might slip. "Just step aside now, friends. I can take care of myself."

The Goth Lolita group backed off a few feet, and the beggar-girl moved the sakabatou away from Kaoru's throat, pointing it instead back at Soichiro and Matsuda. Clearing his throat, Matsuda then spoke again, "Look, just put down the weapon and you won't get hurt. All we'll do is handcuff your hands and take you down to the station."

"Why?" she asked in reply, her light voice almost mocking now, "I've not breached the peace of others."

"No, but its time we end this." Soichiro stared at Matsuda once again at this unexpected reply – the way he said that sentence, it was almost as though it had been rehearsed.

Somehow though, that strange phrase seemed to have the desired effect: she sighed, sheathed her sword, and turned around with her hands behind her back, waiting patiently while Matsuda handcuffed her. Taking that as his cue, Soichiro put his gun away and grabbed the beggar-girl's arm, leading her through the crowd to the platform exit.

Suddenly, she stopped walking, almost as though her feet were nailed into the ground. Sweat drops began pouring down from her forehead and neck, and her hands began to shake, the veins showing up beneath her skin. She gasped once, and fell down forward to the ground before Soichiro or Matsuda could catch her. She fell with a thud, her sword clattering against the ground. They quickly bent down to get her up, turning her over onto her back, shaking her to try and wake her. Nothing worked, and her skin seemed to be turning pale, her lips and nails turning an unpleasant shade of blue.

People started to crowd around her now, shoving Soichiro and Matsuda out of the way. Many of the people were young women who probably believed the beggar-girl to be a boy, all of them commenting on the "Best home remedies" and the competence of the police for cuffing her. One woman even picked her up off the floor, trying to carry her away to a hospital, but Matsuda managed to intervene, taking the girl out of the woman's arms and into his own.

"C'mon, Sir!" he shouted to Soichiro, "quick, before they amass!" With that, they ran through the now dispersing crowd, the beggar girl groaning softly in Matsuda's arms: it was obvious she was in pain now, but the how and why of it was completely beyond Soichiro's and Matsuda's ken.

***

Driving through the rain, it was only then that Soichiro could answer the why of the beggar-girl's sudden bout of illness: someone had probably figured out who she was and what her role was in the Task force against Kira and somehow poisoned her, and in that case it meant that whoever had done it was either an obsessed supporter or already in league and/or contact with him. Hopefully, the attempt on the beggar-girl's life won't end up succeeding and she'll live, however it meant that the would-be killer may be in on K.S's plan, and that he or she knows Soichiro's and Matsuda's role in it, and if that were true, and this person just happened to be the Second Kira as well…no, he didn't want to think about that: in Soichiro's years of experience, he had found that the most likely outcome of a situation was usually the one that he fretted over the most.

"Yagami-san?" asked Matsuda, breaking the silence in the car, and derailing Soichiro's train of thought, "she's awake now, and I think we need to go onto a hard shoulder." Soichiro let out one short sigh of relief: hopefully this meant that the girl would be okay…but Soichiro had never been one to hold his breath.

Driving straight onto a nearby hard shoulder and parking there, he turned around and looked into the back seat. The beggar-girl still wore the blindfold, so he couldn't tell if her eyes were open, but the veil had been removed, and she was sat up, her balance kept by her hand on Matsuda's shoulder.

Now that the veil had been removed, Soichiro could clearly see most of her features – well, the ones not covered by the blindfold. She had a very attractive face, with high cheekbones and a pale complexion. What was most striking about her features were how small and sharp they were, like an imp's: everything from her small nose to her small mouth looked as though they had been carved and polished expertly from marble. Her bottom lip (which was still a little blue from the poisoning) was caged in with three lip rings, the left one attached to a thin silver chain that ended at her earlobe. In each ear, she had three piercing in her lobe and two in the top, the ornaments either plain silver stubs or silver rings. Her short black hair was streaked purple at the front, with only two strands of her hair reaching down to her shoulders, these hanging one in front of each ear.

All in all – at least in looks – she was the strangest girl Soichiro had ever met.

Her head turning slightly to face Matsuda, she opened her small mouth and spoke. "Thank you, Sirs," she said, making the two men stiffen: her voice was disturbing to listen to, the pitch unnaturally high, and the voice itself musical-sounding – it was as though every word was being sung rather than spoken, the sort of voice you'd expect from a sorcerer or taunting ghost. "How glad I am that I've finally found a group of people half-capable enough to follow simple instructions, and a case complex enough to challenge myself with." She smiled slightly at this, as though she was feeling the anticipation to start. Didn't she realise the role she'd been given was one of communication from K.S to the Task force, rather than of the detective himself?

Turning to fully face Matsuda, she reached into her chest pocket, took something out, and pressed it into Matsuda's free hand, closing his fingers around it with her other hand. "Put this away and don't look at it until you get home," she said, almost chiding him when he tried to take a peek, "it's your payment for following my little script so well and convincingly, Most Honourable Matsuda-san." At this he put it into his trouser pocket quickly, like a blushing children trying to hide the evidence of a petty crime from a parent.

"Are you OK now, young Miss?" asked Matsuda, "or will you be sick at all-"

"Wait," blurted Soichiro, "what do you mean by script?"

"Oh, sorry," said Matsuda, blushing even more, "K.S kind of enlisted me to help in this operation a week ago. He wanted to make sure that nothing went wrong and that we didn't take the wrong girl by mistake. He didn't reckon much to the odds you see, so he gave me this script to follow, and told me what to say in every foreseeable situation." At this Soichiro was sort of relieved – at least he knew why Soichiro had seemingly lost his touch, and why his and Matsuda's level of expertise had suddenly swapped over. But, at the same time he was angry: it was practically the same as Matsuda lying to him, and that was unforgivable where the law was concerned.

"Don't worry, Sir," reassured the girl, answering his thought, "the decision was necessary, despite the lying involved. But of course, even you should've realised that." The 'you' in that sentence hadn't been stressed, but it may as well have been: as well as her unnaturally high cantabile tone, Soichiro could also hear that the girl spoke with the wisdom and maturity of someone more than forty years her senior – of someone who had seen all too much of the world, and resented every bit of it bitterly. It was as though she held a personal vendetta with the world and all who lived in it.

"Anyway," she continued, "for all practical purposes, I shall be staying at the house of Great Soichiro Yagami-san, where I will be able to take control of the case and keep an eye on our prime suspect: the Great Soichiro Yagami-san's son.

"But hadn't the charges against my son been cleared by L?"

"Well, I'm only carrying on with the progress that L made with the case before he passed away, and despite what he may have told you, he has never mentioned in his notes that the Great Soichiro Yagami-san's son was ever cleared of charges. In fact, they state at the end that 'through all that I've seen of Light throughout this case, I without a doubt know that he is – and always has been – Kira, and my death will prove me right.' L must obviously be a compulsive liar. Besides, I told you myself that I would be staying with a member of the Task Force, and after all the Honourable Yagami family's involvement in the past with the Kira case, I've decided that your house would be the best place to stay."

"Fine, but won't staying at my house unnecessarily involve my family in the case and put them in danger, and hadn't L once said that by keeping my family oblivious to everything on the case apart from what information the media gave, it would keep them safe?"

"I know that was what had said, but that was then and this is now. There won't be any danger in me staying at your house and using it as my base of operation because if I'm right, Kira won't dare attack any of the Honourable Yagami family, and because of how I'm working on this case, the only other Honourable Yagami family member who will know anything about my plan's will be the Great Soichiro Yagami-san's son _if _he wishes to stay involved with the case, and act as an active member of the Task Force as he has in the past."

"Something's not right here," muttered Matsuda, scratching his head, "Why do you keep referring to your_self_ as K.S? It's as though you're acting as a stand in for him, or _pretending_ to be him."

"Well, Most Honourable Matsuda-san, if you are as smart as I thought you were, you would've realised that it is because I _am _K.S, and I'm sure I've not done anything that would prove myself unworthy of that name. Now that you know, I cannot express enough how important it is that you do not tell anyone of who I am without my permission. The Kira Case and all our lives depend on you two obeying this simple rule, first and foremost. I'm sure you are both half-capable of _that_." K.S gave a small smirk at this, obviously viewing the two men's abilities with cynical pessimism.

"It is too late for you to even attempt to dissuade me from the plans I have already made, and I am not one for going back on my word. If you refuse my help now, then there will be no hope for you, and one of you will end up dead before the end of the week. You will have to face telling the boss of the NPA and the rest at the ICPO of what you have decided, resulting in you most likely being fired for effectively condemning the world to death. If you accept me, then who knows how this will end. On one hand, we will catch Kira and execute him, relieving his strangle hold on the world. On the other, I will end up dead like L, and many people will end up dead, leaving only a small fraction of the world's population alive – if that. These are only two of the possible outcomes if you accept my help. For all we know, we may capture Kira, and I still end up dead."

Soichiro and Matsuda glanced at one another, unsure of what to make of this: It was obvious that K.S – if that was really who she was – was dedicated, what with all the thought she'd put into it, but whether this teenager was capable of taking on this case was another matter. Could she possibly be physically and emotionally prepared for all the strain that this case would press on her, and could she stand to see one of her colleagues die at the hands of Kira? L had somehow managed it without showing an ounce of emotion, but he was 25 years old, and the world's greatest detective.

K.S, however, looked no older than 16 years old, and was only the world's greatest through default, having previously only been at fourth position. Her amount of experience was unknown, and her success rate at solving cases was just as indefinite. She looked like a no-good arrogant punk, and she seemed to act like one as well.

In short, the Task Force was doomed, no matter which way they chose. At least if Soichiro chose to accept K.S's help, there would be no shame, and the Task Force would have a sporting chance in capturing Kira.

After a pause, Soichiro held out a hand for her to shake, saying, "I accept your help, K.S, and I'm glad that there is finally someone who will be able to keep mine and many other people's families safe. By agreeing to take on this case, you'll no doubt stop Kira and prevent the deaths of many people." In response, she looked down at the hand, touched the palm lightly with her fingers and nodded slightly in acceptance.

"Good," she finally said, "Now that this agreement has finally been settled, could you open the car door for me?"

"Why?" asked Matsuda, a look of bewilderment on his face.

"Because I do believe…" she replied, "that I'm actually going to be sick." And with that, she wrenched open the door and climbed out of the car, tripping over her boot-clad feet and falling to the ground on here she face, where she vomited profusely. All who saw it, whether in Soichiro's car or just driving by, could not doubt that she wasn't sick.

**And I think that will be it for chapter three! I'm sorry if it's a little long, but there was just so much to fit into this part, and just so much to tell! According to the word processor program I'm using, this chapter alone is just about 10 pages long! The chapter title "Kojiki" here means "Beggar".**

**So, like I said, all you need to do is to tell me want Light meant by his "YH Magazine" back in chapter 1, and you get the next chapter dedicated to you. It's that simple now. Really, just go ahead and guess. If you want a clue, just go back to chapter one and read the passage in italics where it is mentioned, k? **

**Well, that's pretty much it for now, until I get the next chapter updated, which will hopefully be soon, and before I go, I'd like to say thanks to all those who are reading this, and to my twin sister Daisukebebop, who has put up with my non-stop chatter on death note so far (she's more of a Fullmetal Alchemist fan, you see.) Ok, without further ado, please R&R, keep in touch and SEE YA!**


	4. Part I: Senakaawase no Kasumi

**Hey, all! Hmm…it seems to me that this story is getting ignored by the other fanfictioners, and isn't getting the attention it may deserve. I keep on writing this because I hope that someone will take notice, but it keeps feeling like I'm talking to thin air. **

**Oh well, you can't win them all.**

**So, until someone takes note of this story's existence, I'll keep writing, in the blind hope that someone will click on and read. Still, I'm still waiting for the day of my first review for this story. **

**Oh yeah, until then, I've decided I'm going to do some one shots or something of the like, to keep me busy while I think up plot lines and such for my other stories. For example, I've had a little one-shot in my head for a while that involves L going on this destructive sugar high. In fact, this one shot was actually the first story I ever thought up for Death Note, and would've become my first Death Note story on here, had I not thought up this one instead. I've got two other one-shot ideas in my head at the moment, both of them very recent ideas, so they'll be pretty good.**

**Well, I've just talked too much here again, so I'm going to stop and quit until after this chapter. Please R&R, and SEE YA!!!**

**This written 23/02/09 **

Chapter IV Part I

Senakaawase no Kasumi

"Oh Light, why did you have to be Kira? We could've made so much more out of our relationship. We could've had so much more time together." The deep voice of L echoed through Light's subconscious, sending a cold chill down his spine. Light rubbed his eyes in disbelief, unable to comprehend what he was seeing – that L was standing in front of him in his classic stoop, his right thumb at his now smiling mouth.

"_Please forgive me," whispered Light, ethereal tears rolling down his cheeks, "I didn't realise what I was doing, and I didn't know what it would do to others – what it would do to you."_

"_Nonsense," crooned L, smiling all the more, "You don't mean anything you say, and you only really love me because of a particularly bad case of Stockholm Syndrome. It's only because you suddenly decided to feel compassion for your capturer that you claim to love me. It happens to the best of us, but not to me: I've never loved you. You and I may both be childish and loathing to lose, but that's as far as our common ground stretches. Well at least my death has succeeded in making you weak"_

_At this, Light fell to the ground, tears spilling over. He watched as L was surrounded by a deep blue haze, his eyes and hair changing to the same colour. Light's eyes widened at the sight, and a mirror suddenly materialised in L's hand. L glimpsed into the mirror once, took another fleeting glance of Light, and gave the mirror to Light. L face now held a rarely seen wide grin as Light looked at himself in the mirror. In shock at the image in the glass, he dropped it, sending shards flying everywhere._

_In the mirror, Light could truly see what he had become, for a vibrant red haze surrounded him, with his hair the same colour. But his eyes…his eyes shone blood red: the same colour as the blood of the countless men Light himself had killed – no, _slaughtered – _in the last year. No matter what anyone said now, and no matter what he could try to do…_

…_He had become a True Shinigami: a god of Death in every sense of the word…_

_A Monster._

Light woke up from the dream suddenly, his body heavy with fright and guilt. The light from his window shone through into his room, half blinding him as he opened his eyes. His head hurt him terribly, and every dim sound from down stairs seemed to magnify itself to a hundred times the original volume, each tiny footstep becoming a ringing bell in his head. His eyesight seemed blurred as well, as though he'd been instantly given tunnel vision, or someone else's thick-lensed glasses to wear.

Sitting up, he held his head in his hand, groaning from the pain and huge effort that everything seemed to take now. His limbs were sore as well, and he could feel the bruises even though he couldn't see them through the thick material of his blue suit.

Suddenly he tried to focus his eyes, standing up despite his weakness. Finally able to concentrate for more than a few seconds, he looked around, finding himself in last night's clothes and standing on his bedroom floor beside the wall. Of course! Now he remembered: after he fell to the floor and cried, he started banging his head against the wall again, knocking himself unconscious.

Walking to his chest of drawers and taking out his shaving mirror, he inspected his forehead, finding a large nasty bruise on the left side of his face, which surrounded a now dried cut. The bruise was an unpleasant yellowish tinge now, and was only just concealable if Light brushed his fringe over it. The cut was a little harder to cover up, since the blood from it had dried into a maroon-coloured line that ended at his left cheek, which no amount of brushing could cover up.

Pausing for a moment, he quickly licked his finger, and rubbed at the dried blood until it eventually came away as a dark stain that covered more of his face. He then quickly ran into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

After ten minutes of washing and rewashing his face, he finally realised how futile his efforts were and walked down the stairs into the hallway. Even from here he could hear the ringing sounds from within the kitchen. Every footstep on the linoleum, every clatter of spoons against dishes and every single persons laughter at some mundane joke. He listened as Sayu babbled loudly about some school-related story, and as one, two three other people laughed along with her as they ate.

Wait: _three_ other people? There was only four members of the Yagami family living in the house, and if four people were in the kitchen and Light was in the hall, that meant…

Light quickly opened the door, his eyes glancing around in a panic for the impostor. All he saw was Sayu at the table talking in her usual animated fashion, and his father sitting beside her, chuckling to himself as he read the paper. Light's mother was standing at the sink, washing the pots in hot foamy water and wearing a smile on her face. How Light had missed this! It may seem odd for a young and brutal Bringer of Justice to admit this, but the comforting happiness that accompanied this scene every morning was what Light had yearned for while in Solitary Confinement – it reminded him that he was in some way normal, that the chance for a good life free of evil wasn't as far away as it may have seemed. That it didn't always have to be about the killing, and that there were still people out there who deserved to live.

"Morning, Light!" piped up Sayu as she saw him from the corner of her eye, "What's with the fancy dress? You're a bit over dressed for college, you know." She cast a critical eye over his clothing, ignoring the fact that they were the same things that Light had worn yesterday.

Now done with the pots, Sachiko dried her hands and wrapped her arms around Light, "It's been too long since I've seen you, yet here you are as brilliant as ever!" It was easy to see that Sachiko had missed her son terribly when he had seemingly disappeared, with only Soichiro's word that he was OK (it was never revealed to her that Light had been taken into Solitary Confinement by L on suspicion of being Kira, and since L had thought ignorance to be bliss in this case, no one else dared tell her either).

Sachiko then started to scrutinize Light's face, holding his chin in place with her hand, making sure that he wasn't an impostor. Finally satisfied that she wasn't being delirious, she took out a handkerchief from her apron and began rubbing at Light's face with it. At any other time, Light would've tried to swat away her hand, but he knew better than to deprave her of a chance to over mother him, nor himself the chance to feel normal. Sayu just giggled at her brother's misfortune, watching as he pretended to struggle.

"What's this on your face?" fussed Sachiko, pressing on with the handkerchief, "It won't come off!"

"It looks like blood." Commented Sayu, staring at the bloodstain that had resulted even after Light's efforts to get it off. Now, it took the form of a vivid blood-red line that started at the cut on his forehead, ran through his left eyebrow, over the eyelid and ended at a tiny apple-shaped splotch on the cheekbone.

Someone spoke up, the sound of the voice making Light wince, "You know, something like this happened in Macbeth, when Lady Macbeth killed King Duncan, and she couldn't remove the bloodstains from her hands because of her maddening guilt for her crime." Light stared at the speaker in shock, unable to stop a fleeting look of anger cross his face.

Sayu giggled at the thought, and Soichiro looked up over his paper, eyebrows raised in amazement at the seemingly off-hand comment.

_How dare he…_Light thought, _How dare he accuse me of being Kira like that! _He took a deep breath, preparing to stop the insulter in his tracks, when something caught his eye: the person sat on his chair in a crouch, his arms around his knees, and unkempt spiky black hair on his head. Light's breath caught in his throat at the sight of the boy, almost unable to comprehend what he was seeing. What it L? Had he miraculously come back to life? No! He can't have! Once a person's name is written in the Death Note, they die, and nothing can bring them back, right?

The boy on the chair turned his head to face Light, making Light freeze in fear. This was not L, what with the purple streaks and the piercings, but his – no, _her _– clear silver blue eyes were enough to strike fear into all who saw them. They were eyes that Light knew he would never forget for as long as he lived, whether that be till he was 19 or 90 years old. They were burned into his memory.

She gasped slightly, her hand at her mouth, her blue-silver eyes wide in amazement, "Crimson eyes," she muttered, "Crimson like blood…" She then stared at him, almost as though she was in a trance, where only the crimson mattered.

Suddenly remembering herself, she gave Light an almost apologetic smile, hopped lightly off the chair, and held out a pale hand for Light to shake, "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier: I'm Nao Kawakita, and I'll be staying here for a while, while I get back on my feet."

"Yeah," said Sayu, getting out of her chair to stand beside Nao, "Dad found her last night half-dead in the Tokyo train station on his way home from work, and got Matsuda to help him take her here! Lucky for us, she's super nice! Plus, she's gonna be sharing my room, which is so cool, too!"

"I really appreciate your kindness, Sayu-chan, and I'm really thankful for you letting me borrow your shirt. I hope you don't mind it being a little ripped."

"Oh, it doesn't matter, Nao-chan. It belongs to Onii-tama anyways, and he hardly ever wears it."

(A/N: Note that Onii-tama is the somewhat childish way of saying "Big brother", and it can also be used to refer to someone one admires. Since Light is both those things to Sayu, she refers to him as Onii-tama, but only when she's talking ABOUT him – she never calls it him directly, because Light's never agreed with this nickname.)

At this, Light found himself staring at the stranger's clothes: they were certainly odd, with black leather knee boots (complete with buckles and straps) coupled with a slightly ripped pair of Light's slightly off-white trousers, and the top garment being a plain black shirt with a white line around each sleeve and the neck hole, the look completed with a silver accessory chain hanging off the belt-loops of the trousers and ending in the pocket. The damage to the shirt – the same shirt that Light wore when he hit that harasser Takou Shibuimaru with a truck via the Death Note – was a lot more horrifying than Nao made it out to be, with the left sleeve ripped off brutally at the elbow and allowed to fray.

Light's dismay at the random, unjust destruction of his favourite shirt must have shown on his face, because Sachiko said, "Please don't make a big deal of it, Light. You know she doesn't have anything of her own. We only gave her your clothes because Sayu's didn't fit her so well. Don't worry, I'll go out and buy you and Nao some new clothes as soon as possible this week, OK? But until then just put up with it."

"Yes Light," agreed Soichiro, rustling the newspaper a little as he turned the page, "You're a young adult now, and you should very well learn the importance of giving what you have to the less fortunate. Besides, it's not like Kawakita-san can threaten you in any way."

_Kawakita-san?_ Thought Light, new thoughts spinning in his head, _Since when did Dad give a sixteen-year-old like Nao respect like that? The only other person he's ever treated with such respect was… _

No! That couldn't be possible, right? After what happened to L, how could there be anyone willing enough to work on the Kira case? L was the first greatest detective out there, so if he couldn't succeed in solving the case, then who would?

Staring back into Nao's harsh blue silver eyes, he forgot all about everything around him, the background seeping into darkness. Everything was black to him now – all except for him and Nao: she was surrounded by a vivid purple haze, her hair turning violet, a lot with her hair, and Light in his blood red haze. Neither of them spoke, yet they seemed to know exactly what each other was thinking.

_You…you're my new enemy, right? Is this what the colours are all about?_

**That's right, Light. This is the Vendetta's Haze: all who are involved in the blood feud that started between L and Kira can be marked out this way. I know that you're involved, but I don't know which side.**

Can Dad see this? Does he know about this?

**I highly doubt so: the Vendetta's Haze runs through to the heart, and – although he's your father – this is strictly business to him. If he could see this, he would've never doubted L's judgement against you. **

If you've taken over from L, does this 'Haze' mean you suspect me?

**I've always suspected you, perhaps even more so now, but this sort of evidence cannot hold in court, no matter how much jargon I sprinkle it with. **

Even in thought, Light couldn't help notice the tone of her voice. It was so bitter, so mocking, as though she could see the world rot before her very eyes like Light could, and – also like Light - was feeling every bit of antagonism that ran through the source of the rotting, the only difference being that she couldn't do a thing to stop it.

**So, no matter what, I'll have my eye on you, because I know you're involved personally with this conflict, and I'm sure that you're Kira. You may have been working on this case with L, but that doesn't stop you from being the culprit.**

Although Light and Nao no longer noticed the presence of Sayu, Soichiro, and Sachiko, they still noticed the pair, and the tension growing between the fresh-kindled enemies, unsure of how to break the silence without awkwardness. The tension seemed to be so strong, that not even a simple dirty great knife could cut it.

Sayu glanced at her watch nervously, unsure of what to say to split up her big brother and her new friend, who had already taken position as the sister she never had. "Hey," she finally blurted out, "are you actually going to To-oh today, or are you and Nao-chan gonna be spending all day having a staring competition? It's already 8 o'clock, and you have to be there by 9 today, right?"

Disturbed by Sayu's voice, Light and Nao were suddenly jolted out of their forced oblivion, the vivid colours of their Vendetta fading away until all was at their normal hues. Light blinked a few times in surprise before answering her question. "Yes, I'm going today, let me just get changed and I'll be on my way." He then made to walk out of the kitchen, emphasizing his point.

"Don't forget me. I'm going too." Light stopped in his tracks, glaring at Nao, who now wore the most innocent smile she could conjure. "I took the entrance exam a few days ago, and I'm to be expected there today at nine."

"Oh wow! That's so cool!" Sayu turned around and gave Nao a bone crunching squeeze, knocking half the breath out of her frail frame, "What score did you get on it?"

"Now, now, Sayu," chided Soichiro gently, "maybe Kawakita-san doesn't know her score. If she took the test only a few days ago, then the score can't have been evaluated that quickly.

"Don't worry Sir. I was given it a day after the test, just after my parents threw me out."

"Oh, so what did you get?" asked Light, sceptical of her declaration, a new hate for her getting ready to form in anticipation of the answer.

"100 per cent, I think." She adopted a look of ignorant innocence, acting almost as though she didn't even know what value that score held. "Nothing much."

"Congratulations!" Sachiko cheered, almost applauding the girl, "Just like Light!" she then began to rustle through the cupboards excitedly, "Do you want some cake to celebrate? It's only fair that you get some for your achievement!"

"Please don't bother, Mrs Yagami, don't strain yourself. I hate sweet stuff, but a banana from the fruit bowl will do instead." Light narrowed his eyes at her, the new hate taking an almost tangible form inside him. He hated how this stranger of a girl was able to win over his family within hours, playing the part of the perfect guest. Just how they didn't seem to notice her bitter mocking tone, he'd never know. Some sort of spell, maybe?

Nao was soon passed a banana by the eager mother, the skin of it a pale green-yellow hue, and she crouched back down with it on her chair, tossing it expertly into the air and catching it. "So," wondered Sayu, her eyes following the course of the banana, "What course are you taking at To-oh?"

"Law, of course." she said, flashing her perfect little smile as she caught the fruit a final time. Then, without even peeling the skin, she took a great bite out of it, skin and all. Chewing quickly and swallowing, she smiled again. "Thanks, Mrs Yagami, this banana is lovely." And then, taking another bite out of it and eying Light cheekily, she swallowed the banana again, and – in the sweetest tone imaginable – said, "I'm really, really going to enjoy living here."

***

"So Light, who the girl?" Ryuk asked that morning, as Light sat silently in his seat on the underground train. "What's she here for?" he let his head tip to the side in curiosity, staring at Light with his great red and yellow eyes. The girl in question – Nao – sat beside Light, her arm linked with his in a false gesture of sisterly niceness, eager to let others on the train assume they were related.

Light didn't answer Ryuk's question straight away, preferring instead to keep his eyes closed in an assumingly relaxed state. In fact, he was stressed out and frustrated beyond belief, unable to express in words how he felt with knowing his greatest enemy was not only fooling everyone around him, but living with him too.

"Hey, Light! I'm talking to you, you know! I don't want to be repeating myself, so just answer the question already!"

Calm down, Ryuk. You know I can't talk to you out loud in public, where everyone can see me and think me mad.

"Oh, right. So what is she doing here anyways? Do you want me to kill her?"

No, Ryuk. As much as I'd like that, it wouldn't be helpful at all, considering the situation. This girl is the one who's taking over the Kira Case from L, so if she's found dead now, the blame will instantly be pinned on me, and I'll be arrested for being Kira.

"If she's as great as L, what's she doing out in the open and hanging on your arm? Is she tying to make everyone think you're a couple, or something?" Ryuk, like all Shinigami, had no grasping of the human concept of love, believing such a feeling to be beneath him.

I don't know. All I know is that she's got some sort of plan against me, and that it involves duping my family into believing she's some sort of 'lovable stray'. She sickens me, and the fact I can't cure myself of her is really pissing me off!

"So what are you going to do, hmm?" As much as he hated humans' emotions, he still found their activities a thing of great interest, and plans such as the ones that Light could come up with – the sort that involved death and secret wars of wit – amused him to no end.

Light however, was at the moment not of the same opinion, and was absolutely sick of the stress involved in every plan. He used to view them as amusing brain teasers that took the edge off his boredom, but now that the "brain teasers" were taking their toll on him, he couldn't wait to be rid of this new obstacle, so that he could continue his mission in peace – well, at least as much peace as a life full of vicious retribution could afford him.

So, he just didn't answer.

"Hey! I'm still talking to you!" shouted Ryuk when Light refused to answer, "Why aren't you playing nice?"

But Ryuk, scolded Light in his head, letting a sly smile form on his lips, since when do I play nice?

And for the rest of the journey, neither one of them said another word.

**Well, and that was Chapter four part 1! To be honest, I was planning on it being a bit longer, with what happens at To-oh, as it's a very important part, and in some way relevant to the idea of "The Vendetta's Haze", but this chapter was getting a bit long anyway, despite all the editing this has been through. So, I'll soon have chapter four part 2 up when I do. Oh yeah, I'm also translating this story into French, as my first story in another language. Of course, that will depend on the success of this story, so it's looking unlikely.**

**As you've probably guessed, the chapter title here means roughly, "The Vendetta's Haze", and is basically a bit of a poor reference to how - in the anime – Light always seems to glow red, and L always seems to glow blue, to represent that they are enemies at heart . If you don't like, just flame me a little if you must, and let me have my poetic license – it's the only thing I have left, besides the shred I have left of my dignity and sanity, and my computer, which thankfully has a good connection to the internet.**

**To those of you who read my DN Angel stories: I'm very sorry. I know I should be updating more than I do, but I'm incredibly busy at the moment, and I can't just restrict my talents to you guys on the DN Angel channel, because that would be cruel.**

**Well, please stay tuned for more, because that's what I'm going to try and give you all, k? So please R&R, and SEE YA!!!**

**Chapter published: 27/2/09**


	5. 4 Part II: Kira to Date

**0ey, readers! How's it been over the last few months since I last updated? Wait…where did everyone go? Oh yeah, that's right: no one's been here in the first place. Hmm, it would seem that once again I am lonely in this space – but hopefully that will change with this update! I am desperately waiting for your review, dear reader, as with zero reviews so far, this chunk of cyber space is getting cold.**

**On the news front, there is nothing much to report, except that I now own 3 volumes of the Death Note manga (in comparison to the zero I owned when this was first published), and 24 episodes of the anime (in comparison to 16 to start with). With all this new information, I think I've managed to make the information in this chapter quite accurate. I hope this chapter is good, after all of the editing and rewriting I did on this it get it to the quality it is now. **

**For one thing, I'm typing this all on an old computer at the mo', because of computer priorities, and the one trouble with this is that it keeps confessing to illegal dealings before switching off the word doc, losing a lot of my progress. Thanks to its elderly state, I also have to save this under a slightly different name each time to stop new progress from being lost. Hopefully though, this half-chapter's quality hasn't suffered as a result. **

**With nothing new to say for now, enjoy, and please R&R!!!**

* * *

Chapter IV Part II

Kira to Datē

When Light got to To-oh that morning, a large crowd greeted him, not – as it turned out – to welcome him, but to find out why he had disappeared, and what had happened to 'Hideki Ryuga'. What he hadn't foreseen in his months away was the amount of rumours that had been spread about him and the mysterious Ryuga in their absence: but that didn't matter now, as they were all being shouted out at as the students amassed and closed around Light, jostling him for the answers to their fears. Even Nao hadn't expected this, and had turned to hug Light in a desperate attempt not to get squished by the onslaught.

"Have you been studying abroad like they say?" Shouted someone above the noise of the others. "Where's Ryuga?"

"Yeah, what did you do to him?"

"Is it true you kidnapped him? Was any money involved?"

"Did you make him a sex slave?"

"Who's the chick? Is she your sex slave too?"

"Is Ryuga still in your basement?"

More and more such questions barraged him, gnawing away at his reputation, making him sink right back into his bereavement again. All he wanted to do want just sit down on the cold hard ground, curl up and weep – but he couldn't. An intelligent young man such as himself could not afford to lose face in front of his peers; no matter how low they stand in comparison.

"Hey, Light," whispered Nao, her cantabile voice distinguishable from the tangled web of the others, "don't say a word. Just walk straight through the crowd and don't be afraid to knock someone over. They deserve it, right?"

_Stupid Nao! Who does she think she is, trapping me like that in a situation like this? _

"She obviously must think she's L." said Ryuk, his ghastly form hovering above Light and Nao, "why else is she acting like a pain in the ass?"

"Oh ha ha." Light responded under his breath, walking with lengthened strides as he battled his way through the hostile crowd, knocking a yobbish boy to the ground as he went. In response to what must've looked like an assault, a group of similar-looking boys muscled in to face Light, pounding their fists against their palms in aggression.

"Whatchoo doin', punk?" asked the apparent leader, a baseball cap sitting jauntily on his head, keeping whatever fringe he had away from his face. "Ya think ya can mess wi' us?" he smirked confidently; sure that the outnumbered fight of eight to one would end swiftly in his favour. "Y' may think yer a badass wi' tha' tattoo, bu' ya a long way off th' big leagues!" he laughed menacingly and deeply in his throat – obviously his signature move.

"He was in the way," Replied Light in his calmest voice. He had never been one to back down from a challenge, no matter how depressed he was. "And he wasn't going to move. This," gesturing to the permanent bloodstain on his face, "is obviously not a tattoo, so don't assume so. I'd apologise for knocking down your friend, but I can see that saying 'sorry' won't do anything." Light cracked his knuckles in annoyance and frustration at the situation he'd been landed in, not helped by the fact that any false move on his part would quickly and easily put him under Nao's suspicion.

The gesture was quickly misread, and before Light could explain, a punch was being thrown his way, the ringleader's battle cry ringing in his ears. Light swiftly blocked it with his arm, deflecting the fist. The attacker was angry now, and he gestured for the other seven boys to let loose on Light, making quick work of him in the uneven fight, Light's hands held behind his back and his feet barely touching the ground. The rest of the crowd were waving fists in the air, chanting in unison, "Hit him! Hit him! Hit him!"

All the while, Nao stood silent in the wings, showing no emotions for her suspect. Thankfully, the gang was all too busy on Light to think of one insignificant girl as well. She let false tears run down her porcelain cheeks, giving the impression she was upset, while the well-oiled gears of her mind cranked rapidly as she formulated her plan.

The ringleader was laughing now, spitting in Light's face, "'Ere ya go, punk!" he yelled, drunk on his own power, "'ere's a lesson ya can be tested on la'er!" he then slowly drew back his fist, aiming at Light's stomach, his eyes wide with maniacal glee, letting it loose, just about to hit Light with it when-

"Please don't hurt him!" a little girl's voice sounded, the plea stinging the crowd to silence. The ringleader's fist stopped in mid-air, an inch away from Light's gut. "Please don't hurt my cousin!"

Everyone turned to face the girl, shocked to see the oddly dressed Nao crying her eyes out, her sobs loud and distressful. That coupled with its cold bitter tone was enough to force the boys to drop Light to the ground, tears brimming at their eyes. Even Light couldn't help but be affected by the sight and sound of it, that desperate life-saving cry tattooed in his memories. Nao dropped to her knees as well, hands clasped as she begged. "Please don't hurt him! He's everything to me!" she then crawled forward, wrapping her left arm around the ringleader's leg, causing his cheeks to go red with embarrassment as she repeated her plea over and over again. It was like watching a small child having a huge temper tantrum in the supermarket: horrifying, embarrassing, and painful to watch.

"OK, OK," the ringleader suddenly yelled, putting his hands over his ears, unable to take it any longer, "We won' 'ur' 'im, 'kay?" signalling to his gang, they fled the scene, leaving Light where he'd dropped. Nao stood up and wiped the tears from her face, a beaming smile on her face. Finally free of the girl's grasp, the leader turned tail as well, following the rest of the gang to their usual abode behind the bike sheds.

Now that the crowd had dispersed, Nao held out a hand for Light to take, helping him up off the ground. Her face was completely dry now, not a trace of the previous breakout left except for witnesses that surrounded them. A smaller, more cunning smile was on her face as well as she walked through the crowd with her 'cousin' in hand.

Once they were out of the ear reach of the other students – who had all now decided to act like nothing happened – Light lead Nao a ways away from the entrance gate, glaring at her straight in the eye. "Thanks for saving me," he said through gritted teeth, struggling to control himself, "I guess this means I'm in your debt now."

"Of course," she replied, "I wouldn't expect anything less."

"Was this all some trick to stop me from trying anything against you?"

"Oh, you brute!" Nao said in mock shock, loud enough for anyone to hear, "I didn't realise that _Kira_ wanted my head! I'm going to have to call the police!"

"Now don't you _dare_!" Light put his hands threateningly on her shoulders, half shaking her; "you may think I'm Kira, but nothing you say will change the fact that I'm not him, okay?"

"Fine," she said, imitating his stern tone, "but I know you're personally involved with the case, and I have a whole filing cabinet full of L's files on this case to prove that as well, so it won't be long until you're true colours are revealed to the rest of the world, and Kira is led to the gallows." She shook herself out of Light's grasp, sighing to herself. "Oh poor me," she groaned in exhaustion, "What am I going to do with such a perfect suspect? Try as I might, I can't figure him out!"

Nao turned to walk away, still putting on her act of fatigue. Light sighed as she walked away, thankful that she was finally out of his hair. He was about to walk away as well, when she turned back to face him, a business-like look on her face. "If anyone asks," she said her cantabile voice as bitter as always, "I am your cousin Satori Datē from Hokkaido, and I came here for a better education. Got that?" she scowled at him, almost as though she didn't trust him to pass on that information correctly, like she thought him stupid.

Staring at him for what felt like forever, she finally walked away again, this time never looking back, her back stooped like L's would be, and her hands holding each other behind her back. Light sighed again, this time absolutely certain that she wouldn't be back for a while, and that her being a new student here was most definitely a lie.

"Light? Is that you?"

"Huh?" Light whirled around to face the speaker, only to see the Refined Takada herself there, her fist at her mouth in her usual gesture of shyness. She smiled when she saw him again, her pale face lighting up with joy.

"I've really missed you, Light." She suddenly wrapped her arms around him tightly, knocking the wind out of Light, her tears soon soaking his shoulder. Quickly recovering, he slowly put his arms around her waist, giving her a comforting squeeze. He may be gay now, but he still knew what was to be expected of him around young women such as Kiyomi Takada and Misa Amane. That went without saying.

Still in the embrace, Light slowly stroked down her back in a gesture of reassurance, fingers dipping through every notch in her spine, and feeling every rib in her skinny torso. _Has she been _pining _for me? _Light couldn't help think, unable to register how such a sensible, intelligent young woman could succumb to such lengths of depression for his sake. Such self-sacrifice and love for anyone other than oneself did not compute in Light's mind, where his own well being was of the utmost importance, considering the many years of ruling as god he'd be facing in the future.

Slowly, Kiyomi ended the embrace and resorted instead to holding Light's hand, not letting him walk away. "I'm sorry if I wet your shoulder a little," Kiyomi muttered, her voice barely audible now, "But I've just missed you so much, and there are so many things I want to tell you. It feels like you'll disappear if I let you go." Light didn't answer, stunned by her behaviour: for all the time that Light knew her, she had never once admitted such feelings for him, preferring instead to express her love through her actions. Now however, she was like an open book, unable of concealing anything from him.

"So, who was that girl you were with just then?" Her voice was no longer sad, but nonchalant, enough dignity intact that she didn't want him to think that she suspected him of cheating.

"Oh, that was my cousin."

"Your cousin? I didn't know you had a cousin."

"Er yeah, her name's Satori Datē. She's from Hokkaido."

"Oh," Kiyomi pondered this for a moment, before finally saying, "That's a funny coincidence…"

"Why, what's so funny about-" Suddenly the bell rang for class, interrupting him.

"Never mind," Kiyomi giggled, more to herself than to Light, "you'll find out in class when we get there!" And grabbing hold of Light's hand, she dragged him off to Criminology class, nearly getting trampled on by the hordes of other students on the way.

***

"Satori Datē" said, Professor Matsudo the Criminologist, clicking a button on his remote to switch on a power point on the large screen at the front of the room. The first picture was of a young dark blonde haired woman dressed in a male school uniform, her hair long and curly. "An 18 year old Buddhist from Hokkaido who reached enlightenment, and decided that money was the source of all Moral Evil." The button was pressed again, and the class was looking her in traditional orange robes, "She murdered many business men and bankers across the country, and there are at least 100 known victims that she slaughtered." The picture changed, showing a slide show of bloody, dead men. Many of the girls in the class gasped in shock. "Using her swordsmanship and skills at espionage, she killed for three years without getting caught, only captured when she turned mad, phoned the police and admitted to it. This case, known as the 'Bank men murder case' ended two years ago." The final picture flashed on the screen, showing her full facing and profile picture against a height measuring background, showing her height at 5 feet 2". There was no doubt it was taken when she was arrested.

Light and Kiyomi sat next to each other in their seats near the back, able to see every detail of the pictures on the screen clearly, especially the ones of the criminal's face.

"So far," continued the wizened Professor, his handlebar moustache waggling in a non-existent breeze, "Satori has not yet been sent to be executed, due to a religious appeal from other Buddhists wanting her freedom. Thankfully though, that comes up to a minority of the Buddhist population, although their votes are counted nonetheless."

_Now I see, _thought Light, drowning out the drawling of his professor's voice, _Kawakita-san's used an alias, just like L did with Hideki Ryuga's name. Like with L and Ryuga, Satori Datē _might _be this Nao Kawakita's real name, but if I try to kill her, I may end up killing the criminal instead. Although that will be a good thing, there's too much controversy surrounding Datē – it'd be too fragile, and it'd point the finger straight at me, considering all these witnesses to me attending this class. Besides, if I'm lucky and Satori Datē _is _this detective's real name; chances are she's already revealed herself to the ICPO, which means I'll _still _be targeted. No matter whom I try to kill, I'll be targeted. But…if I didn't do anything…no. If I don't do anything to either of the two Satoris, Nao will still suspect me because she'll know I'm trying to be careful, and she's a witness to this lecture too. _Light turned around in his seat to look to see Nao – or Satori, as she wishes to be called – sitting at the back, right against the wall, her legs bent into her crouch. She was staring right past Light, her attention focused on the large screen, and her thumb at her mouth in thought. As it turned out, she wasn't lying when she'd told the Yagami family of her being a new student here. _I'm damned if I do…and damned if I don't._

"Now students," continued Professor Matsudo, clicking a button on his remote again, "compare this criminal to the most recent of serial killers, who only made his debut in the December of last year." The screen went black for a moment, to reveal a four-letter word against a yellow background written in fancy italics, bordered with a shiny star effect. "Kira, whose name comes from the Japanese pronunciation for the English word, "killer", is also known as 'Kira the Saviour' by many people in the media due to his penchant for killing only criminals and – more recently – people who stand in his way. According to these people, he is a Messenger from Hell who has come to rid the world of Evil." The picture changed again, to show an image that had obviously been taken from a website: the toolbars hadn't been removed from the top or the bottom. It was an ornate love heart flanked by detailed wings, a torch of flames between the valley at the top of the heart, and an angel at the point at the bottom. The whole love heart was bordered with a beautiful lacquered effect built up of elaborate circles. Over the top of it were the words:

THE LEGEND OF KIRA THE SAVIOUR

_Why are the words criminals _

_Being eliminated one by one?_

_Because Lord Kira has returned._

_Lord Kira is a messenger from_

_Hell who will not suffer the_

_Presence of Evil in this world!_

_Beware: you may_

_Only enter this site_

_If you believe in Lord_

_Kira's resurrection._

(A/N: These are not my own words. These words were taken straight from my copy of Death Note volume 1, where you can find a picture of this evil love heart, which also wholly belongs to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. Now I've mentioned this, I can no longer be sued (I hope!))

"According to rumours and sources also found on the net, Kira only needs two things to kill a person: their name and face. Because of this distinction, a Second Kira was identified in April of this year, who only needed a person's face – but you don't need to know about that Kira for now." During this part of the speech, the screen changed once more to show Kira's name again, this time written in Old English script on a plain white background. "So far, Kira's true identity has not been discovered, and the only clue to his identity we have is that he was once in the Kanto region of Japan, which means there is a strong possibility that he is Japanese. The detective currently working on this case, known only as 'L', discovered this, by broadcasting a supposedly world wide message in the Kanto region of Japan, only for L's stand-in to end up killed by Kira, thus confirming this." Another button-click was heard, leaving L's ornate moniker in view.

As Light's eyes met upon the very initial he hadn't seen for a week, tears began to fill up in his eyes, forcing him to hide his head behind his hair and his hands as he wiped the tears away. L's face flashed through his mind. Once he was composed again, he quickly set his eyes to the front again, to find the rest of the class staring back.

"Are you OK, Light?" Professor Matsudo asked, truly concerned, "Is something the matter?" One notable thing about Professor Matsudo was that despite his status as a college professor, he wasn't the sort to ridicule a student if they were legitimately ill – for one thing, decades of study on the Humanities and Social Sciences had made him more than capable of telling the difference between a faker and someone who wasn't lying.

"No, Professor. Nothing's wrong."

"You look paler than a sheet but if you say so…" He turned back to face the board, picking up a small pile of paper, and handing them to a boy at the front to send them around the room. "Although, if you _are _going to vomit, then feel free to make an exit _before _you start to upchuck – the last student who vomited in class, well… I won't go into much detail but let me just say that after the _chain-reaction_, the room had to be sterilised for a month, and I was washing the chunks out of my hair for a week. But back to Kira! Now, Kira is able to kill criminals without being at the scene of the crime, using heart attacks… "

Finally, once everyone was given a sheet of paper, and Professor Matsudo had finished his explanation, the screen was once again made blank, and was scrolled up into the ceiling at a tug of its rope, the projector at the back of the room switched off. "Right," began the grey-haired professor, adjusting his glasses, "Now that you've heard all the facts on each criminal, we are now going to compare and contrast them in preparation for a report you'll write on their differences and similarities. I also suggest that you use that paper for taking notes. So, any ideas on similarities?"

Instantly, a sea of hands shot up in unsurprisingly rapid enthusiasm – even months after Kira's first appearance, he was obviously still the flavour of the month.

"Yes, Fukuda?"

"Erm…they've both killed a lot of people?"

"Well, that's the most obvious. Does anyone have any information on this that's actually useful? Yes, Kagami?"

"Well, I think that both of them must be young people, because not only has it been said that Datē was only 18 years old when she started killing, but when Kira was first killing, the times of the criminals' deaths seemed to be between 4pm and 6pm and from 8pm onwards – the times when a typical high school student is either studying or else on a break. The reform of the criminals' deaths, when they were killed every hour on the hour must've been to lead the police off the trail, or else to push it in their faces that he was a student, as if to say, 'So what? What difference will that make?'"

"Excellent theory, Kagami, very well said. Now who can top that?" Craning his neck to look among the now lowering sea of hands, his eyes widened at the sight of an oddity at the back of the room. "Oh, how did you get there all of sudden? Who are you, the one crouching in the back there?"

"Oh, me?" Nao stood up on her seat, her satchel still hanging from her shoulder and a finger pointed to her chest, ignoring the winces from the class, "My name's Satori Datē, and yes: I do have something to say on this. First of all, both of the criminals have a strong – if twisted – sense of justice, with Datē believing that money is evil, therefore all who handle money deserve to die, while Kira believes that all criminals – no matter how petty – deserve to die for breaking the law, even though a crime only counts as evil if it is also one of the seven deadly sins of Christian lore or is breaking one of the Decalogue. Either way, they both believe that they alone are taking the moral high ground.

(A/N: For those who don't know, the seven deadly sins are: Greed, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Sloth, Wrath and Pride. The word 'Decalogue' is another way of saying The Ten Commandments.)

"Because of this, it also stands to reason that they came to a misjudged moral decision before they started killing – or else killed beforehand and called it justified to keep from blaming themselves and/or going mad. What is also so similar is that they are each at a very high status in the community that they represent, what with Datē being a Bodhisattva thus representing Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism – the Eastern religions – and Kira being likened to a 'Messenger from Hell' thus – with the title's strong Christian undertones – would make him the representative of Christianity, Islam and Judaism – the Abrahamic religions, what with their similar origins and beliefs.

"As a result of these high statuses, each criminal owns a high number of followers, most of whom who will obey senseless commandments to ensure their masters' safety – this proved by the many websites dedicated to each of these criminals. As Kira is no doubt aware of this fact, it isn't much of a stretch to think that his current ability to kill criminals while extracting information from the NPA, and without any visible signs or tip-offs as to his true identity that are visible to the police or the Task Force, may be due to help from – or rather manipulation of – Kira's own followers. Since it seems that Kira can control a person's actions before they die, and can certainly kill people in more ways than just heart attacks, this may possibly be the case. If this is so, then this would be dreadful news for the Task Force and L, because not only will they be trying to find the identity of a highly dangerous killer, but they will also have to do this while fending off Kira's, um, 'Disciples', who will all have a will that knows no bounds, making them potentially more dangerous than Kira himself. The fact that Datē has been a death row inmate for two years without a set execution date due to the appeal of her followers is down right proof of this. What is more, the Task Force would be up against a wall, seeing anyone and everyone as a possible supporter of Kira. Concerning the similarities, these are my thoughts on the cases so far."

Bowing her head a little, she then crouched back down into her seat, her thumb at her lip and her silver-blue eyes closed in reflection, leaving the students and Professor Matsudo open-mouthed in shock, both at her voice and her theory, knowing that no one could compete against her. All, that is, except for Light of course, whose visible calm did well to disguise his inner feelings of anger and disgust.

"Oh…urh…um…" The wizened professor finally found his voice, desperate not to be seen as foolish as the other students, "What an excellent hypothesis! Well done, Datē! I'll be surprised if you don't catch Kira yourself!"

Damn girl…what are you trying to achieve by doing this? First, you give yourself a name as conspicuous as Satori Datē, but then you go off and give out classified information on the Kira case, and openly declare yourself related to me!

"Hey Light, why don't you just have Misa-Misa tell you what her name is and then kill her off when she's useless to you, like what you did with L?"

You idiot, Ryuk! Haven't you learnt anything? She's a resident at my house, which means if something happens to her, the finger will be pointed at me no matter how much of an accident it looks! Not only that, but because of all the witnesses to her theory that Kira kills in other ways, and her theory holding information that could lead to my capture, if she dies then it'll be the same as me writing a suicide note confessing to being Kira and killing myself right now! "Fine, but don't go asking for my help the next time you get stuck on your Sudoku puzzle!"

There was then a silence among the pair as Professor Matsudo decidedly moved the lecture onto the business of the differences between the cases. "And don't point out just the obvious!"

"Hey, Light."

_What is it _now_?! Damn shinigami…_

"I know this may sound a little odd, but…" he twiddled his arachnidesque fingers, thinking of the right words to say.

Spit it out then.

"I like this girl! I know all humans are a lot of fun and all, but she hits me right there!" He then patted his upper arm, smiling wickedly.

You may look like a clown, but you sure aren't funny.

"Yeah, yeah – my special brand of humour's only for those who give a damn!"

Light didn't reply, but just stared off into space for the rest of the lecture, not even caring when Nao made one of her special speeches every now and again. At that moment, his thoughts were only on his next move, on how he should deal with his greatest obstacle so far. He knew he couldn't kill her, else he be found out of being Kira, but the fact she had only mentioned what Light already knew meant that she was only working from what L had found out already – meaning that she hadn't found out anything herself. That would mean he was clear so far, and that her interrogation of him had barely begun: those threats that she gave him that morning must've been based on what L knew – but that Vendetta's Haze…that was so far the only piece of evidence that Nao had against him. And, like she said, that couldn't hold up in court unless the judge was personally involved with the case – and even then he'd have a hard time convincing the jury.

It was settled then: for now he could only sit back and do nothing, just as long as he made sure that that 'nothing' didn't make her think he was Kira.

***

The bell rang for the end of the lesson, and with barely a sentence said to one another, Light and Kiyomi left the class hand in hand, making no attempt to push through the crowd. Nao, meanwhile, stayed where she was in her seat at the very back, her eyes fixed on the couple as Kiyomi made to talk to the professor, only to be pushed away by Light again.

Only when Light and Kiyomi had finally exited the class did Nao stand up again, her piercing eyes set upon her new target of the moment: a young man dressed completely in black, his long dyed black hair brushing at his shoulders. Unlike all the others, he stayed sat in his seat, his head pointing straight ahead, as though fixed on an imaginary dot at the front of the room. Was this him now? The boy who had caused all those horrific incidents 7 years ago, the results of which had cost the sanities of those five unfortunate junior high-school students?

Well, from the way he dressed, and the darting of his eyes at the slightest sound, it seemed so.

So, it was with a calm and silent pace that Nao walked up to the boy, one hand clutched onto something hidden within her satchel. Just as she was inches from the back of the his head, she heard a footstep, and in unison both her and the boy looked up, glaring at the back of the old professor as he walked into the office at the front of the room, switching off the classroom light. It was dim and silent now; the only sound the drawing of now bated breath.

Sure that nothing would disturb them now, Nao took out the object from her bag and carefully placed a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder, gripping firmer when he tensed with fright. "Don't be scared." She whispered into his ear, hardly giving him time to scream, "Just put your arm out and grab hold of the notebook I'm going to place in your hand. Then, as soon as you've recovered, tell me everything you know about your new memories. Now remember, once you've got hold of it…don't let go."

* * *

**So? Was I right in saying that it was good? What do you think? PLEASE tell me what you think, cause I need a review soon to tell me I haven't lost my touch…although, I have a feeling that the avoidance of this fan fiction is something to do with the summary, so that's gonna get changed. Let's see… 'Abusive drug use'…yep, that'll be it. Although that's more or less true, it's actually nothing to do with such as weed or cocaine, or those sorts of narcotics. I'd tell you, but that'd give the game away. However, if you do have any thoughts on what direction the plot is going to take, or on what's going to happen next, PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME!!! Sorry about that – I'm just extremely…um…hopeful in that someone will _finally _leave a review! **

**Oh yeah, I do have something new to report: I have now got the opportunity to have my manga art published in my school's art magazine, _Dazzle_! How cool is that?! If and when it does happen, I'll put it on my profile too (if you don't know, I'm called Maurosaeras on that.)**

**And once again for the chapter title, this one means, "Kira and Datē". Pretty simple really. Now with this chapter done, I may soon have something updated on one of my other stories, of which are DN Angel based. For more on those stories, please check out my profile! **

**That's it for now, so SEE YA, and please R&R!!!**


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